Federal 100: Lt. Gen. Mark S. Bowman

Straight shooter. Bowman is not afraid to talk bluntly about the Pentagon's IT shortcomings. In June 2015, he said of a departmentwide IT security project: "A lot of people are happy about where we are. I'm not." Described by one colleague as a "tireless change agent," Bowman has been a big backer of DOD's push for better cyber hygiene for all personnel, from privates to commanders. He has also put a vast bureaucracy on the path to widespread use of modern IT tools. One example: Thanks to his efforts, more than 80 percent of Joint Staff employees now use virtual desktops.

The GAO director of information technology issues is leaving government after 16 years. On his way out the door, Dave Powner details how far govtech has come in the past two decades and flags the most critical issues he sees facing federal IT leaders.